In memoriam: Ulrich auf dem Keller
Ulrich auf dem Keller, a leader in wound healing research and mass spectrometry-based proteomics technology, died September 1, 2023 at the age of 49.
Born on April 5, 1974 and raised in Mu虉lheim an der Ruhr, Germany, auf dem Keller received his undergraduate diploma in biochemistry in 2000. He then joined ETH, Zurich in the biology department under the mentorship of Pfizer Academic Award winner where he identified Nrf2 as a key player in the cellular stress response and studied Nrf-mediated gene expression in keratinocytes in the prevention of skin tumors. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2005.
auf dem Keller moved to the Centre for Blood Research, Vancouver, Canada, in 2006 to join where he quantified changes in the proteome and analyzed the nature of protein amino termini analysis (N-terminome) using iTRAQ-TAILS technology and showed that loss of a single protease could perturb the proteolytic signaling network and enhance inflammation.
In 2009, auf dem Keller started an independent lab in ETH, Zurich as a senior scientist and group leader. He exploited the capability of iTRAQ-TAILS to exploring the substrate degradome of matrix metalloproteinase and translated his research to address complex proteolytic activities in healing impairments. In 2017, he moved to the section of protein science and biotherapeutics at Technical University of Denmark Bioengineering in Lyngby as a professor. He continued there until his death, exploring the quantitative proteomics approach in complex biological matrices.
auf dem Keller had more than 150 publications with 6,587 citations to date. He received a Herbert Tabor Young Investigator Award in 2011 from the 精品国产一区二区桃色 for his studies of proteolytic events in the skin.
Colleagues remember auf dem Keller as . He was instrumental in the overall growth of his department and his students. He spoke Latin and ancient Greek, had an interest in classical music and was an outstanding viola player.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we鈥檒l send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles

Understanding the roles of extracellular matrix and vesicles in valvular disease
MOSAIC scholar Cassandra Clift uses mass spectrometry and multiomics to study cardiovascular calcification and collagen dysregulation, bridging her background in bioengineering and biology to investigate extracellular vesicles and heart disease.

Learning, leading and lifting others
Tigist Tamir鈥檚 journey from aspiring astronaut in Ethiopia to cancer researcher at the University of North Carolina highlights the power of mentorship, persistence and curiosity in shaping a scientific career focused on discovery and equity.

Biochemists and molecular biologists sweep major 2025 honors
Recent Nobel, MacArthur and Kimberly Prize honorees highlight the power of biochemistry and molecular biology to drive discovery, including immune tolerance, vaccine design and metabolic disease, and to advance medicine and improve human health.

Subramanian receives electron microscopy honor
He delivered remarks at the International Conference on Electron Microscopy in Bangalore, India.

Bioart for fall: From order to disorder
The cover of the fall issue of ASBMB Today was created by ASBMB member, Soutick Saha, a bioinformatics developer at Wolfram Alpha LLC.

Doudna wins Priestley Medal
She will receive a $20,000 research grant and will formally accept the honor at the ACS Spring 2026 conference.